South Korea's former president Moon Jae-in said on Monday he plans to give up a pair of dogs sent by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a gift following their 2018 summit, citing a lack of support from his successor.
Mr Moon has raised the white Pungsan dogs, named Gomi and Songgang, since their arrival in the South. He took them to his personal residence after his term ended in May.
The dogs are legally categorised as state property belonging to the presidential archives, but Mr Moon's office said he was entrusted as their caretaker under consultations with the archives and the interior ministry, an unprecedented decision.
The agencies had sought a legislative amendment to facilitate the move, including financial support.
But that effort fell apart due to "unexplained opposition" from the administration of incumbent President Yoon Suk-yeol, Mr Moon's office said.
"The presidential office seems to be negative toward entrusting the management of the Pungsan dogs to former president Moon," Mr Moon's office said on Facebook.
"If that's the case, we can be cool about it, as such an entrustment is based on the good will of both sides ... though ending it is regretful given they are companion animals he grew attached to."
The Chosun Ilbo daily reported earlier on Monday that there was debate over whether to provide Mr Moon with monthly subsidies totalling some 2.5 million won ($1,800), citing unnamed government and parliamentary officials.
The interior ministry, which oversees the presidential archives, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
An official at the Ministry of Government Legislation said it has not opposed the idea and that discussions are ongoing.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2a)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
